All things New York Mets and MLB

If he lives up to his potential, Travis d’Arnaud could be a top five catcher in the National LeaguePhoto by New York Post

After a horrendous start to his 2014 rookie season, Travis d’Arnaud was sent down to Triple-A Las Vegas in early June. The backstop raked down in the minors and was called up just a few short weeks later. When he returned to the big leagues he looked like a completely different offensive player.

Since June 24th, his first game back in the big leagues, D’Arnaud hit .272 (70-257 AB) with ten dingers and 32 RBI in 69 games. He looked significantly more confident at the plate and the results were encouraging. The 26-year old’s overall 2014 numbers were subpar but the Mets have to be hopeful that their starting catcher will perform more like his second half form going forward.

If he isn’t, then he won’t be a Met for much longer.

Former top pick out of Purdue Kevin Plawecki is breathing down the neck of d’Arnaud as 2015 draws closer. Plawecki has been the talk of Met position players so far in camp.

If d’Arnaud wasn’t acquired from the Blue Jays a couple winters ago, then perhaps the Mets would have Plawecki as their 2015 Opening Day catcher.

Instead Plawecki will start the season in Triple-A Las Vegas. Plawecki has already shown he can hit for a high average in the minor leagues and is now just waiting for an opportunity in the big leagues. That is why d’Arnaud must get off to a good start offensively. The Mets want Plawecki to play everyday so he won’t make the club as a backup catcher.

Travis is already a work in progress defensively behind the plate after a miserable season framing pitches and blocking balls in the dirt. If he gets off to a bad first couple of months with the bat then Sandy Alderson may elect to make a change at this vital position.

Despite already being 26 years old, d’Arnaud is only entering his second full big league season. With the lack of catching talent throughout baseball, d’Arnaud would have a ton of trade value even if he struggles to start the season.

No matter who the Mets decide to choose at catcher going forward, they really shouldn’t drag this out like the team did at first base for years with Ike Davisand Lucas Duda. The longer you wait the smaller the chance of getting something significant in a trade.

While d’Arnaud will likely bat towards the bottom of the Met lineup, you can make the case that there is no Met position player with more pressure on him right now. In fact other than Terry Collins, no Met needs a hot start more than d’Arnaud….

Over the winter several media reports suggested that the Mets checked in on SSJimmy Rollinsfrom the rival Phillies but were quickly rejected. It was simple, Rollins wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause to join the Mets, Philly personnel told Sandy Alderson. Rollins had 10-and-5 rights because he has spent more than ten seasons in the big leagues and at least five in Philadelphia.

That may not be the full story however as Rollins said in a spring training press conference that other than the Dodgers, the Mets were his preferred destination in a trade. “This was my No. 1 landing spot,” Rollins said of the Dodgers from the Los Angeles’ spring training camp in an article by ESPN, and I considered the Mets to be No. 2. They have some arms over there — oh my gosh.” Rollins also went on to say that the Mets have a very bright future.

Rollins, 36, is scheduled to make $11 million in 2015 in the final year of his contract. The Mets likely wouldn’t have been able to fit Rollins into their budget without trading infielder Daniel Murphyalthough that is just speculation on my part. The Mets expected to trade Murphy should they have found a shortstop.

This story doesn’t make a ton of sense as Rollins has infuriated Met fans throughout the years, most notably when discussing Johan Santana and the Mets at the Phillies World Series parade in October 2008.

Rollins has regressed considerably offensively over the past couple seasons and while he would definitely be a defensive upgrade, the Mets were probably better off looking at other shortstops options.

David Wright and Daniel Murphy have been the staples of the New York Mets offense over the past four seasons

Mets All-Star 2B Daniel Murphy is entering his final season under contract in 2015 and would love to be with the Mets long term. “I’d love to be here in the future. That, again, is way in the distant future. I’ve got too much anxiety about today to worry about what happens in November.” Murphy said in an article by ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin.

Most in the game would be shocked if the Mets lone 2014 All-Star does not hit free agency next winter.

Murphy, 28, is now the second longest tenured Met on the team behind only David Wright. Both Wright and Murphy have been the lone offensive players in the Mets lineup for years now so it would be difficult to see what the Mets offensive attack would look like without Murphy.

Now with other hitters emerging the Mets have considered moving Murphy out of his #2 spot down to possibly 5th or 6th in the lineup to be able to drive in more runs.

The Mets front office has very little interest in a contract extension with #28 and he is very likely playing out his final season in New York. In fact it is very surprising that he has made it this far in his Met tenure. I wrote last June that Murphy appeared to be a goner from Terry Collins’ club. That article can be found here.

Alderson and company are looking to build an offense around power and on-base percentage, the two lone skills that Murphy does not display in the batters box. Plus the team has many in house 2nd base options for the future such as Dilson Herrera, Matt Reynolds and Wilmer Flores (if he doesn’t work out at SS)

Murphy is scheduled to make $8 million so it was a surprise that the Mets didn’t trade Murph to clear his salary. With the Mets payroll close to $100 million and likely staying at that figure for the foreseeable future, it is difficult to imagine the Mets fitting a long term deal for Murphy into their budget.

Most importantly the Mets are going to have to start paying their young pitchers very soon. If the Mets were going to lock up Murphy it would have been two or three years ago when his price tag was significantly lower. The Mets really can’t now even if they wanted to.

Murphy who will be 30 on April 1st will likely command a four year contract worth somewhere in excess of $35-40 million on the open market. That price can go up depending on the season Murphy has so enjoy him while you can Met fans….

Optimism is surrounding the New York Mets as Spring Training 2015 begins. After six straight losing seasons, the Mets are very happy with the progress being shown by a lot of their youngsters. The question is, can they actually put it all together this upcoming year? The National League East will be tough, headlined by the Washington Nationals, but the Mets will show some promise.

On paper, it has been a relatively quiet offseason for New York’s National League team. The only notable name they went out and got was Michael Cuddyer. People know he is a solid hitter, but his value in fantasy baseball 2015 will drop a little away from Coors Field. Not only should he produce on the field, but he very well could be a leader in the clubhouse along with David Wright.

Speaking of Wright, he will once again be the face of the franchise. This team will likely struggle on offense, so they need him to still be playing like he is in his prime. There are too many talented teams in the National League East to win with just pitching.

As of right now, New York might have the best young talent in the game as far as pitchers are concerned. Matt Harvey should be ready to return at some point from arm surgery, and he will instantly be their ace in fantasy baseball 2015. Rookie of the year Jake deGrom is solid, and Zack Wheeler along with Noah Syndergaard could really take off. Along with a nice rotation, they have a slew of arms in the pen that will be able to hold leads.

Washington looks like one of the best teams in baseball, but the other four teams in the division have their own specific holes. It would not be a shocker to see New York in the mix for the wild card for most of the year. They are probably still one season away from really making some playoff noise.

Big thanks to our guest blogger Mark Jenkins on how the Mets are viewed in the fantasy baseball landscape. If you’re interested in getting involved in fantasy baseball check out fanduel.com.

With Spring Training officially underway lets take a look at who is expected to make the Mets Opening Day Roster. With grapefruit league games not even starting yet, this group will change slightly. Injuries could also change who makes the cut to join the Mets against the defending N.L. East champs, the Washington Nationals on April 6th.

The Infield

The Mets infield appears set. Three of the four players have played key roles in previous seasons while Wilmer Flores looks to break out as the teams starting shortstop. This may not be the best defensive infield the Mets have ever had by any stretch of the imagination but they should be able to drive in some runs.

1. 3B David Wright

Daniel Murphy enters 2015 in a contract year and is highly unlikely to be resigned by the Mets

2. 2B Daniel Murphy

3. 1B Lucas Duda

4. SS Wilmer Flores

5. C Travis d’Arnaud

The Outfield

The Mets only made two major league signings this winter and they both happen to be outfielders. The Mets outfield was horrendous in 2014 and must improve, especially offensively if the club wants to be contenders.

6. LF Curtis Granderson

7. CF Juan Lagares

8. Michael Cuddyer

The Mets don’t have many quality options to replace Curtis Granderson if struggles again like he did in ’14

The Starting Rotation

The strength of this 2015 Mets club will be their starting staff. With a key member back from injury and plenty of starting pitching depth in the minors, expect this to be one of the better rotations in the National League.

9. RHP Matt Harvey

10. RHP Zack Wheeler

11. RHP Jacob deGrom

12. LHP Jon Niese

13. RHP Bartolo Colon

The Bullpen

This is where things get a little cloudy. The Mets bullpen is very much undecided thanks to Dillon Gee being the odd man out of the rotation. Gee is not pleased with going to the bullpen and has stated he would prefer to start somewhere. While we aren’t going to rule out a trade it is very unlikely at this point as most teams have their budgets set going into the season and don’t want to spend an additional $5 million on a back end starter like Gee in Spring Training.

While the Mets would love to see a second left-hander emerge into the bullpen out of camp, expect six right-handers to be in the Mets bullpen in Washington for Opening Day. The Mets will give Rafael Montero a shot to be a reliever in camp and that may be his only shot to pitch in the big leagues for the foreseeable future. Expect Bobby Parnell to help this group out in a couple months as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

14. RHP (CL) Jenrry Mejia

15. RHP Jeruys Familia

16. LHP Josh Edgin

17. RHP Vic Black

18. RHP Carlos Torres

19. RHP Dillon Gee

20. RHP Rafael Montero

The Bench

After hitting well in his rookie season, Eric Campbell will likely see time in both infield and outfield corners this season

The Mets have had very weak benches over the past few seasons and expect 2015 to be no different. The team did a nice job in bringing in Jon Mayberry Jr. and as long as Terry Collins only plays him against lefties he should perform well. Expect Kirk Nieuwenhuis to make the club over a player like Matt Den Dekker as he is out of options. If Kirk does not make the club the Mets will most likely lose him to another team.

Despite still having something to prove, Josh Edgin enters 2015 as the Mets most important reliever

The Mets enter camp this spring with just one left-handed reliever expected to make the Opening Day roster in 28-year old Josh Edgin. Sandy Alderson and company are unlikely to change that despite several established left-handed relievers still hanging around on the free agent market such as Phil Cokeor Joe Beimel. The Mets are unlikely to sign either one of them, even to a minor league deal at this point which means expect Terry Collins to call on “Everyday Edgin” frequently to start the season.

The Mets have a very good bullpen but the one Achilles heel of the group is having just the one lefty. Not to mention that one lefty is Edgin, who is promising, but hasn’t established that he can handle the workload that is going to be asked of him. In fact few have.

The Mets have tried the one lefty thing before in recent seasons with players such as Pedro Feliciano, Tim Byrdak and Scott Rice. All three players had early success before being ran into the ground from overuse. The same thing is going to happen to Edgin unless the Mets find a second pitcher to get left-handers out.

Edgin has never exceeded 30 innings a year in parts of three seasons in the big leagues and has never pitched in more than 47 games. The Mets are hoping Edgin can nearly double his appearance workload this season just like the days that “Perpetual Pedro” got in 90+ appearances a year for the Mets a few seasons back. Feliciano led the league in appearances every season from 2008-2010 and has pitched in just 11.1 innings since.

The Mets have rule 5 pick LHP Sean Gilmartin in camp but the team sees him more as a long-man than a lefty specialist. Plus with Dillon Gee still in camp as the long reliever it is unlikely Gilmartin will find a spot on this club. The Mets also have Jack Leathersich but he isn’t quite ready for big league action just yet according to Sandy Alderson.

In one of the more shocking developments of the 2014-15 Met off season, Dillon Gee is still a Met. Gee, 28, is scheduled to make $5.3 million in 2015 but doesn’t seem to have a rotation spot with the Mets. Gee will be a free agent after the 2016 season. With Matt Harvey coming back after Tommy John surgery in 2013, Gee appears to be the odd man out.

It appears the Mets overvalued Gee’s market during the Winter Meetings and now they are stuck with an expensive long man. The Mets have no desire to pay that kind of money for any of their relievers let alone a swingman who would much rather be starting somewhere.

It is a very similar situation to what happened with Ike Davis and the Mets last winter.

The Mets got some decent offers for Davis but elected to hold out for a better offer that never came. Instead Sandy Alderson kept Davis into the 2014 season and then moved him in a salary dump in late April. The Gee situation looks eerily similar.

The Mets don’t want payroll to exceed $100 million so keeping Gee now could prevent the Mets from making a key move at the deadline that could push them into contender status. Gee has been a solid pitcher for the Mets but based on their rotation and current payroll he has more value in a trade than on the Mets. Their best chance to move him now is having a pitcher on another team get injured in spring training and then calling the Mets on their available right-hander.

Join Rob DeLucia as well as myself as we break down the N.L. East, including the Nationals mega move in signing Max Scherzer. If you have a question for the next podcast, leave it below in the comment section and it will be included next time.

With the upcoming switch from Bud Selig to his hand-picked successor, Rob Manfred, as MLB’s commissioner, Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon has not lost his standing within baseball.

The elder Wilpon will be the new chairman of the MLB’s Finance Committee, according to the Daily News. This is not a joke.
Selig, the biggest supporter of Wilpon, is retiring at the end of this week. It seemed like conventional wisdom to Met fans that once Selig left the new commissioner would put some pressure on the Wilpon’s to spend money on the Mets payroll. That no longer seems to be the case and the chances of the Mets payroll going up in upcoming seasons looks unlikely.

The Mets 2014 payroll was around $92 million which was the lowest for the franchise since the 2000 season. The 2014 payroll also ranked 21st in baseball and won’t be more than a few million dollars more in 2015.

In what was considered to be one of the greatest hall of fame ballots in modern baseball history, four players were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pedro Martinez, Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz will all be inducted in a momentous celebration in Cooperstown on July 26th as part of the 2015 Hall of Fame class.

Johnson, Martinez and Smoltz each got into the Hall on their first try. Biggio was elected on his third attempt after falling just two votes shy last January. Biggio, who spent his entire career all over the diamond with the Houston Astros admitted he was worried about the verdict after getting so close last year. “I was a nervous dog this morning. I haven’t been this anxious in a long time,” Biggio said. “Maybe it does mean a little bit more this year.” Biggio said to the Buffalo News.

Randy Johnson goes into the Hall as the tallest player to ever get into Cooperstown, shattering the old benchmark made by the 6-foot-6 Dave Winfield. “I don’t think people quite understand how difficult it is to be 6-foot-10 and be throwing a ball 60 feet, 6 inches away,” Johnson said in an article by the Buffalo News. “In order to do that, you have to be consistent with your release point and where you’re landing and your arm slot and all that. For someone 6-1, 6-2, there’s less body to keep under control, so it’s a lot easier.”

It’s ironic that Johnson will go into the Hall the same year that 5-foot-11 Pedro Martinez will. Martinez was told constantly as a young flame throwing prospect that he was too small and frail to handle the workload of a starting pitcher. After 18 big league seasons, all as a starter, it’s safe to assume the doubters were incorrect.

Martinez is only the second Dominican born player to ever get into the Hall of Fame. Only the great Juan Marichal hailed from the Dominican Republic and got into Cooperstown before Pedro.

John Smoltz will be reunited with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine when he joins the two former Braves in the Hall this July. Atlanta’s former “Big 3” helped form one of the most dynamic starting rotations of all time and were vital to the Braves 1995 World Championship over the Cleveland Indians.

The last time four players were inducted in one year was the class of 1955, headlined by Joe DiMaggio. This baseball story evolved throughout the day amongst fans, going from joy and excitement for these four players to anger and confusion on who didn’t make the cut.

The closest player who did not get in was former catcher Mike Piazza. Piazza, 46, was denied entrance into the Hall of Fame for the third straight year despite getting 69.9 percent of votes. To get into Cooperstown a player needs 75% of votes by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Piazza played in 16 big league seasons and hit the most home runs by a catcher in baseball history with 427 long balls. The former 62nd round pick also leads all catchers with a .545 SLG %.

Piazza needs at least 28 voters to change their mind on him if he wants to get in on next year’s ballot. Piazza’s chances have suffered due to allegations of performance enhancing drug use during his career.

Piazza isn’t the only player with Hall Of Fame numbers not to get in due to PED Allegations. Elite players such as Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire’s chances to enter the Hall of Fame look very slim. First time vote getter Gary Sheffield, who hit over 500 homers in his career also received just 11.7% of votes due to allegations of PED use. Sheffield, a 9-time All Star, was listed in the Mitchell Report in 2007, which will cost him along with most alleged steroid users any chance to get into the Hall someday.

Despite an incredible career, Carlos Delgado did get much consideration for the Hall Of Fame

The most notable player to be exiled off the ballot for future years would be Carlos Delgado. Delgado, 42, enjoyed a strong career where he hit 473 dingers and drove in 1512 RBI across 17 seasons as a big leaguer. There weren’t allegations that the former first basemen took illegal substances. Delgado made just two All-Star teams in his career and only received 3.8% of votes. A player must get at least 5% of votes to stay on the following years ballot.

The class of 2016 should also be exciting as former stars such as Ken Griffey Jr. and Trevor Hoffman enter the ballot for the first time.

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